The club’s response – taking action: “Not my AIK”
Published 2023-10-15 13.16
Share the article
Save the article
An agency that infiltrated AIK and leaders within the club who attend to other people’s affairs.
According to Dagens ETC and Fotboll Sthlm, AIK has been controlled to some extent by people loyal to a gang-linked agency.
– This is not my AIK, says club director Fredrik Söderberg to Sportbladet.
Quick version
According to Dagens ETC and Fotboll Sthlm, AIK football has to some extent been controlled by people loyal to a gang-linked agency According to the review, the infiltration of the club has had an impact on recruitments and which players should be invested more heavily in AIK’s club director Fredrik Söderberg admits problems, says they broke in cooperation with the agency and takes action
ⓘ The summary is made with the support of AI tools from OpenAI and quality assured by Aftonbladet. Read our AI policy here.
Show more
Dagens ETC and Fotboll Sthlm have reviewed an agent who is said to have connections to gang crime. He is said to have received money from gang criminals and, together with his agency, offered luxury watches to attract young football talents in above all AIK.
But the connections between the gang-linked agency and AIK are deeper than that – according to the review.
According to Dagens ETC and Fotboll Sthlm, the agency must have infiltrated AIK.
Controlled from within
Within the club’s academy, there must be several coaches and scouts who, instead of doing what is best for the club, attend to the affairs of the agency.
Two people in the club, a coach and a leader, are said to have close connections to the agent who is linked to gang crime, writes Dagens ETC and Fotboll Sthlm.
– It is a really serious situation. One of Sweden’s leading clubs has largely been hijacked by outsiders, says a person with insight who previously worked at AIK.
According to Dagens ETC and Fotboll Sthlm, among other things, several players who belong to the agency have joined AIK’s academy. At the same time, several promising players in the club have started to be represented by the agency.
The relationship between the club and the agency must also affect players who work with other representatives. Youth coaches are said to have been asked “by people higher up in the club hierarchy” to bet harder on players linked to the agency in question. An alarm has been raised internally, but nothing has been done. There must be a culture of silence that is described as “strong”, according to Dagens ETC/Fotboll Sthlm.
full screen AIK’s club director Fredrik Söderberg Photo: Maxim Thore / Bildbyrån
Commenting on the data
In an interview with Sportbladet, AIK’s club director Fredrik Söderberg talks about the problems and the solutions.
– We have of course received the information and we have taken measures. We will not do business with the agency. They represent players in our academy, it will not affect. But we will not bring in new players from them and will not help them with player sales, says Söderberg.
What do you say about the picture being painted?
– This is not my AIK. I want us to be associated with sporting achievements, player development and a good workplace.
– I agree that the agency has had too much influence on us. That’s why we don’t want to cooperate anymore. Then it hurts me if you (leader in the club ed. note) feel that you have not spoken up, that you have seen something that is wrong. These are signals that I take very seriously. You must be able to raise the alarm if you see something that is not good. We must be confident that decisions are made in AIK’s best interest.
Some of the measures the club will take, in addition to no longer working with the agency, is to create an action plan for employees who feel they are being influenced by people outside the club.
An Integrity Officer, who shall provide training for young players and their families regarding sustainable player representation, shall be appointed.
– My view is that we have broken our guidelines and that employees have been alone in these positions. We have tried to fix it, says Söderberg.
How is AIK affected as a club. Can youth activities be negatively affected in the future?
– On the contrary, with the information in the luggage. We have made changes that will create a healthier environment. We basically have a good environment and player development. There have been cases where I feel we are not in full control of the situation. Where people outside AIK have too much to say about our strategy. It has to stop, we are a long way there.
In conclusion, Söderberg believes that AIK is not a unique case. That it is not an “AIK problem” but a problem within football in general.
– The football industry is an industry that contains opportunities for quick money. There will be unserious and shy people there. I see it as a whole with what was previously alarmed about, about people who move healthily Skytteholms IP. Match fixing problem. It is a comprehensive problem and it is not only AIK that is affected. It’s a big football problem.
– It would be naive to say that just because we have taken measures we are safe. We have to be on our toes constantly to avoid this.
full screen
2023-10-17 04:22:24
#AIK #hijacked #outsiders
